NEW DELHI: In the Indian football ecosystem, one name that has never been heard is that of Rajasthan. Despite being the largest state, football has always shied away from making a mark there. Not anymore as Rajasthan FC has arrived and Monday was their first professional game. They played Lonestar Kashmir and won 2-0. But the result is just a sidenote. The fact that the desert state now finally has national representation and a professional football club is in itself a huge achievement.
The club came to be because of the passion of two friends — Sohil Bhansali and Shubham Garg back in 2018. “Both of us were football lovers and have played for the state. We used to conduct small leagues in cities like Jaipur, Varanasi, Delhi for young kids. But our ultimate goal was to form a professional club in our state,” CEO Sohil told this daily. With the help of the Rajasthan Football Association and AIFF, and AU Small Finance Bank, who came on board as title sponsors, the club came into existence on paper. “It was a great moment for us as well as for all involved. But obviously there were further obstacles to deal with.”
Playing in the second division of the I-League was a conscious decision on the part of the owners. But even for that, certain criteria had to be met. “Infrastructure-wise, we needed a stadium, we needed an academy set-up and obviously we had to be a part of the state league.”The club helped the state FA to organise the state league. For the academy, they tied up with Poornima University which lent them the residential wing as well as a training pitch. The club now has a residential set-up for the age groups of U-8, U-10, U-13, U-15 and U-18. But it was not without difficulty.
“The younger generation is passionate about the sport thanks to the internet. But for kids to actually enroll in a residential academy, the mentality of the older generation had to be changed.” The club tied up with a CBSE school nearby and now the kids not only play but also devote time to studies. This has slowly contributed to a change in mentality. Rajasthan FC also has a women’s team and there are plans to introduce a similar system for them in the future.
But the Second Division will be a challenge monetarily with AU no longer with them as title sponsors. “Money is an issue we cannot ignore. For this season, we have enough on board but in the long run, we definitely require help.”Economic issues aside, what is most important is that the state finally will be called in the same breath as Bengal, Kerala and the north-east. A testament being their first-ever playing squad had almost seventy per cent representation from Rajasthan itself.